filibuster

Filibusters are defined as actions, such as long speeches, that stop a legislative assembly from progressing.

(noun)

When senators give very, very long speeches to try to prevent a vote on a bill they do not want, this is an example of a filibuster.

See filibuster in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

an adventurer who engages in unauthorized warfare against a country with which his own country is at peace; specif., any of the 19th-cent. U.S. adventurers who led armed expeditions into Latin American countries; freebooter
☆
1. the making of long speeches, introduction of irrelevant issues, etc. in order to obstruct the passage of a bill in the Senate
2. a member of the Senate who uses such methods
  also filibusterer

Origin: Sp filibustero < Fr flibustier, earlier fribustier < MDu vrijbuiter, freebooter

intransitive verb

transitive verb

☆ to obstruct the passage of (a bill) by a filibuster

See filibuster in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action.
b. An instance of the use of this delaying tactic.
An adventurer who engages in a private military action in a foreign country.

verb fil·i·bus·tered, fil·i·bus·ter·ing, fil·i·bus·ters

verb, intransitive